Mixed Blessings
It appears the stars were not aligned from the outset. Leaving Manly at four in the afternoon, meant I hit the mad rush to get home. More like a listless crawl, as I edged forwards one car length at a time along the notoriously busy Military Road. I contented myself with the thought that several people do this every day of the week while I am lucky enough to be able to commute on my road bike and avoid this purgatory. After an hour and a half, I had travelled a whopping 20 km and 300 km of road still lay ahead. Once past Liverpool, I donned the shades, cranked up the ipod and with the rich, hearty tones of Marilyn Manson, my sanity was strangely restored as I hit the accelerator, finally reaching the speed limit and I began to enjoy the freedom of the motorway.
Once registered, I left Canberra town centre but, as I tried unsuccessfully to tune into the Manly-Souths League game, I found myself driving down a 3-lane one-way street. Luckily, the fast-moving oncoming traffic was in the other two lanes and a catastrophe was averted. On reaching the house my Jetblack team had booked for the weekend, I found that the others had already taken to their temporary nests and, conscious not to disturb anyone, I took the only available spot on the floor under the snooker table. Mosquitoes were eating me alive and when I retreated under the cover of my sleeping bag I soon found myself in a lake of sweat. It was already 1 am, and fearing no sleep at all, I found solace in the laundry room. It was cool and mosquito free. I began to worry about redback spiders, who just love these damp rooms and the scratches on the door, which I had assumed were from a cat, now, in my mind, were from the resident rats. Richard Kuklinski, the Iceman, had fed his victims to rats while they were still alive...Resigned to a gruesome death by spider venon, while rats feasted on my eyeballs, I somehow drifted off into an uneasy sleep.
Race Start for Wave 1 (AROC, 2014) I awoke at five in the morning, and the events of the night now seemed a distant memory. I checked in a mirror, certain I would resemble a victim of the bubonic plague, but there was not one bite or welt. Perhaps, I was merely a victim of my own imagination.
With no time for a warm-up, I took my place in the first of seven waves, alongside the Big Guns of Endurance Mountain Biking. Elite riders, such as Dylan Cooper, Shawn Lewis, Jason English, Brett Bellchambers and Jenny Fay, but also regular foes Garry James, Mike Israel and Trent Moore. As I had expected, the pace was frenetic from the outset, and I struggled to keep in contact with the main group. A rider came alongside me complaining he had forgotten to take a bottle of water and he was in for a long day. I remember noticing him on the start line and had wondered what insane strategy he was employing. The rider was Jamie Ingram, and he was able to salvage a dropped bottle after just 10 km, thus saving him from the damaging effects of dehydration. Perhaps the rider ahead, who had dropped the bottle, was less fortunate.
With no time for a warm-up, I took my place in the first of seven waves, alongside the Big Guns of Endurance Mountain Biking. Elite riders, such as Dylan Cooper, Shawn Lewis, Jason English, Brett Bellchambers and Jenny Fay, but also regular foes Garry James, Mike Israel and Trent Moore. As I had expected, the pace was frenetic from the outset, and I struggled to keep in contact with the main group. A rider came alongside me complaining he had forgotten to take a bottle of water and he was in for a long day. I remember noticing him on the start line and had wondered what insane strategy he was employing. The rider was Jamie Ingram, and he was able to salvage a dropped bottle after just 10 km, thus saving him from the damaging effects of dehydration. Perhaps the rider ahead, who had dropped the bottle, was less fortunate.
As the course wound its way through the wonderful singletrack of Kowen, Sparrow Hill and Majura Pines it became strikingly obvious that my descending was, once again, holding me back. I was playing tag with Eliza Kwan, who was eventually to finish 3rd in female elite. I was able to move past her comfortably on the flat and uphill sections, only for her to close (and even be held up) on the downhills. I sincerely apologise to her for that, and I know that any improvement in this area will dramatically improve my race times.
Taking stock of the 10 km untimed section. (Gbel, 2014) After 65 km, the race enters a 10 km untimed section, which allows riders to refuel and recover. To be brutally honest, this really works against me as it takes away some of the endurance element, which is my strength. I waited 53 minutes of the allocated 55, before setting off with Justin Dewhurst on the undulations of Black Mountain. Caution was necessary on this section, as the descents were fast and loose. For once, I was not the only one grabbing large handfuls of brake. Initially, I dropped back from the riders ahead, unable to find my rhythm and power. Like an old diesel, I found my legs, and started to cut through the riders in front. On catching Justin, I took my place at the front and he jumped in my slipstream. After a few minutes, he hadn't come round to do his time in the wind and I knew he was struggling. I kept up the speed and next time I looked around he had popped.
Jenny Fay and Dylan Cooper (AROC, 2014) Justin had been three minutes ahead, having started in the second wave, and this provided the motivation to keep pushing hard to the finish at Mt. Stromlo. I climbed the switchbacks with renewed gusto and, as always, thrived on the white knuckle descending along skyline and the luge. I was to take five minutes on the final section to beat him by two. Finishing in 4.08.52, I trimmed 10 minutes off my time from the previous year and placed 96th.
Dylan Cooper and Jenny Fay took line honors in the elite category with Shaun Lewis, Jason English, Naomi Hansen and Eliza Kwan filling the podium. Mike Israel was an excellent 44th, Trent Moore 52nd, Jetblack teammates Andrew Finlayson 32nd and Andrew Fell 69th. Congratulations to Guy Cowan (87th) and Elvio Fernandes (95th), Elvio finally beating me by just nine seconds!
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